Ukrainian Soldier Uses Video Game Skills to Destroy Russian T-90 Tank

First there were the images, spectacular. On the snowy ground of Ukraine, in Stepove, near Avdiivka, we can see an armored vehicle in great difficulty. For several dozen seconds, the tank came under heavy fire, without clearly managing to direct its turret towards the origin of the attack and fire to return fire.

The cause of this complete shelling? Two infantry fighting vehicles, the M2 Bradley, transferred to Ukraine by the United States. During this sequence, one of them continues to open fire on the tank, identified as a T-90M. It is a very common tank in the Russian army: its first version entered active service in the early 1990s.

Throughout the video, we see a succession of spectacular impacts of shots from the Bradley, which was put into service earlier – the first examples arrived in the early 1980s. Strong explosions are visible, undoubtedly caused by the impact of ammunition on the reactive armor of the T-90M.

In distress, the tank is unable to free itself or regain the advantage. It is neutralized towards the end of the video, when a Ukrainian kamikaze drone is rushed at it. The crew, still alive, eventually escaped. It was later reported that of the three Russian soldiers, two were killed and the third captured by the Ukrainians.

This face-to-face between an infantry fighting vehicle, lighter and older, and above all less equipped with firepower than the Russian tank, was the subject of a communication battle in mid-January 2024 between kyiv and Moscow, when the images were broadcast. The Russians downplayed, the Ukrainians claimed victory.

According to Oryx, an open source intelligence site that has become a reference on the war between the two countries, it was Ukraine that emerged victorious from this mechanized duel. The tank is listed among the losses of the Russian army. It is the 12th T-90M to have been damaged and abandoned, among even greater losses.

After these already spectacular images, it was the report from the Ukrainian crew that proved striking. A translation, provided by the X account (ex-Twitter) of WarTranslated on January 19, allows us to learn the type of use of these Bradleys in winter conditions, and also to put faces to the Ukrainian crew.

From virtual theory to real practice of war

But, during this exchange, it was the confidence of the man named Serhii, the shooter, which struck people's minds. The person concerned, who in civilian life is a professor, also turns out to be a video game player. During his interview with TCH, he explained that he remembered the tank's weak point while playing… War Thunder.

This detail, discovered on January 19, quickly made the rounds on social networks, as shown certain reactions from Internet users Who received a lot of attention the last days. “ This T-90 got hit because this guy played War Thunder and knew where the weak points were », we read for example.

“ We pulled with everything we could. At first, with anti-armour. Then we started having problems. But as I played video games, I remembered everything, both how to hit them and where they were “, he indicated, without directly quoting War Thunder.

It is subsequently that the role of War Thunder has been deduced, whether on in some Reddit forums and on certain specialized media. Nothing really surprising, after all, when we see, for example, the existence of videos titled: Weak Points Guide to Beating Most Tanks (War Thunder).

It would probably be excessive to attribute all the credit for this military victory northwest of Avdiivka to the sole fact that Serhii is also a gamer. Other factors to consider: intelligence, piloting the Bradley, reinforcements, combat determination, starting positions and the degree of preparation of the crews.

It prevents. It is not entirely surprising to discover the very indirect role of War Thunder in this duel. This video game, launched in 2009, is known for being a fairly realistic and faithful combat simulation with the capabilities and characteristics of the vehicles used, whether air, land or sea.

A concern for accuracy which has sometimes given rise to deviations. Some nerds of War Thunder and military affairs, who wanted to demonstrate that they were right on this or that technical detail or an element of performance, did not hesitate to leak real confidential information on equipment.

Several cases have been reported in recent years: the Challenger 2, Leclerc, ZTZ-99 and Norinco VT-4 tanks, but also the Tiger and Apache helicopters, the F-16, F15-E, Sukhoi Su-57 MiG-29, Typhoon fighter planes, F-117. Ironically, even the Bradley was hit, even though the leak involved unclassified documents.

The T-90 is not included in these leaks. On the other hand, the tank is present in War Thunder since 2017, with an update that added several main battle tanks and attack helicopters. The T-90 exists in several versions. The one that was defeated in January is a model that appeared from 2016.

On War Thunderthe T-90M was announced in December 2023 during an update note. It's not in game yet, but it's a version that shares some commonalities with the T-90. It is described as offering an increased degree of survivability — which was confirmed when the crew of the real T-90M escaped from the craft.

According to the Oryx website, Russia lost 13,951 combat equipment, of which 9,752 were destroyed, 636 damaged, 663 abandoned and 2,900 captured. On the T-90 more precisely, there are 37 neutralized T-90As, T-90AKs, 8 T-90S and 58 T-90Ms. The T-90 is not Russia's newest tank. It is the T-14/Armata since 2021.

On the Ukrainian side, we recense 5,021 losses of equipment, including 3,461 vehicles destroyed, 406 damaged, 197 abandoned and 957 captured. The Bradley also lost a heavy toll at the front. The Oryx site counted 65 vehicles of this type destroyed or damaged, and sometimes abandoned. Only one was captured.